The Limited Texas Medical Marijuana Program Has Officially Started

Last week, Knox Medical delivered the very first order of medical marijuana to a 6-year old Texas epileptic patient. The Texas medical marijuana program is very limited, only allowing low-THC, high-CBD medical cannabis concentrates, but that was exactly what the young girl was looking for.

Cannabidiol, or CBD, has shown very real ability to reduce seizures in an epileptic patient, and is generally believed to the most medicinal cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant. Texas as of now only allows for 3 dispensaries in the entire state.

“Patients deserve medical relief and Knox Medical is proud to work with physicians and caregivers, and in close coordination with the Texas Department of Public Safety, to provide this medicine that exceeds the most rigorous standards for quality and consistency,” explained José Hidalgo, founder and CEO of Knox Medical.

“This is a historic day for Texas and we will work tirelessly to uphold the trust and responsibility the state has placed in [our company],” he said in a press release. “For Texans suffering from intractable epilepsy, the wait for medical cannabis is finally over.”

Knox, which is based out of Florida, is one of three companies legally allowed to dispense cannabidol in the Lone Star state, according to the Texas Tribune.

A spokesperson for Knox told the Tribune that social workers and nurses are the only ones allowed to deliver marijuana products to patients.

Instead of being able to hawk buds and concentrates, dispensaries are required to sell extracts and oils — with no more than 0.5 percent tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Most strains of marijuana, when in plant form, contain 9 percent to 30 percent THC.

The fact that Texas is embracing medical marijuana, albeit slowly, should certainly send a message to the rest of the country. Do you expect Texas to expand their medical marijuana program beyond its current limited scope?